Yum Yum Potato Chips, a division of Krispy Kernels, Inc., recently chose BluePrint Automation to solve its automatic case-packing problems, and BluePrint came through with fantastic results.

Yum Yum always had been progressive about keeping its production floor as up-to-date and modernized as possible. Efficiency and speed had been improved in many other areas of production, but Yum Yum’s products still were hand-packed with multiple manual operators, meaning the case-packing area was not capable of running at high speeds and production was sporadic.

Yum Yum needed an automatic case-packing system that would allow for higher line efficiencies and more throughputs with less labor.

That’s when BluePrint stepped in. Yum Yum called on BluePrint to provide equipment capable of handling higher bag production speeds and eliminate the inconsistency of the manual process. Yum Yum asked for more in terms of handling ability, since future plans could include new, faster vertical form/fill/seal machines.

BluePrint turned to its high-speed pick-and-place unit, specifically designed for the snack food industry. The solution included bag seal-integrity checking, a concern for most companies in situations where machines, and not employees, will handle the bags of snacks.

BluePrint’s pick-and-place unit collates bags at speeds up to 150 bags per minute. The machine places them in a cassette until the number of bags per case is met, and the caseload is side-loaded into the case.

Not only can the unit handle bags at a high rate per minute, but it also offers flexibility in the size of bags it can move. The system is capable of picking and placing bags from 1/2 oz. to very large, 22-in. bags, with a more gentle touch than manual labor would give the bags.

The system also can save manufacturers money because it can pack bags in a tighter case, providing savings on corrugate, and is capable of packing new and reusable cases.

BluePrint met the needs of Yum Yum Potato Chips perfectly and didn’t fence in the company in terms of its future needs. Yum Yum can improve the speeds of its lines, and BluePrint’s pick-and-place unit will continue to fit right in.

If you’re looking for a secondary packaging system for flexible and other tough to handle packages, call BluePrint Automation at 1-804-520-5400. They can provide your company with a total system that takes control of the package as soon as it leaves the form/fill/seal operation and takes it all the way through palletizing; “From the Filler to the Truck!”

When it comes to purchasing new equipment, bakers, pizza producers and snack manufacturers want production lines that are adaptable and reliable.

That’s because they can’t afford to have their equipment become antiquated as the result of the latest new diet fad, shifting market trends, changing consumer eating habits or key accounts searching for new signature products as they take their businesses in a new direction.

“We’re now seeing a trend toward flexible sheeting lines,” notes Paul Groenewegen, director of business development for Rademaker BV.

If the low-carb trend taught the baking industry anything, it’s that a white-hot trend one year can cool down significantly a short time later, resulting in excess inventory and underutilized equipment.

“The demands are changing rapidly for our customers and for the customers of our customers,” Groenewegen says. “One big product launch may be a success for six months or 24 months, and then it’s gone for the market and a new product becomes popular. Today, if you’re spending a big chunk of money on a line making one or two products, it’s not enough. People want to be able to make an entirely different product with just one or two small changes to their line.”

This year, Rademaker BV opened its much-anticipated, state-of-the-art technology center to work hand-in-hand with its customers to develop new and often custom-designed systems that are tailor-made for specific production needs. Located next to the company’s headquarters in Culemborg, The Netherlands, the 14,000-sq.-ft. center replaces a smaller test bakery that has simply outgrown itself over the years in the main plant.

“Because of the overall growth of the company, more and more people from all over the world have paid a visit to Rademaker,” Groenewegen notes. “We could really see a trend toward our customers expecting more technological support. We’re moving from being just a machine manufacturer to being more of a partner who offers not only equipment, but also technological assistance.”

In its technological center, Rademaker has installed a pilot bakery as well as full-scale industrial makeup lines and ovens that allow bakers to reproduce their products on its equipment.

Specifically, the first floor of the center has one room that houses spiral mixers to formulate products, using the actual ingredients customers have brought to Culemborg from their bakeries. The test bakery here also has a small retail bakery-style makeup area as well as a proofer, rack oven and four-deck oven.

In a second air-conditioned room set at 55°-57°F, a Radini sheeting and laminating line allows customers to make up everything from bread and rolls to croissants and pizza dough. The three-section modular line simulates production on an industrial level. The center also has a machine for making pies, quiches and other items.

In a third room, products can be baked on an Aeromoflex impingement oven or the new Multibake-d, direct-fired oven. The second floor of the building houses several multimedia-friendly conference rooms where customers can meet confidentially with Rademaker’s test bakers and engineers.

In addition to test baking, the center allows Rademaker to run product demonstrations or train its customers’ line supervisors before the equipment is delivered.

Years ago, Groenewegen notes, many bakers purchased equipment and then adjusted their formulations and processes to figure how to make their products on these new lines. At Rademaker, the process is just the opposite.

“For us, it really starts with our customers’ final end-product,” he says. “Our philosophy is, ‘Tell us what you want. Show us your product.’ We’re first going to talk about your product and what you are looking for, and we will try to find a concept or solution to make this on an industrial scale with all of the technological possibilities that we have.”

For reliability, he adds, Rademaker assembles and tests all of its equipment at the Culemborg plant before shipping. 1-330-650-2345.

Quick turnaround time with top-of-the-line equipment has Packaging By Design poised to meet any customer’s needs.

The ability to adjust to any flexible-packaging order and offer a quick product turnaround has always been one of the main tenets at Packaging By Design.

The company has the ability to ship an order as quickly as three weeks after all plates and materials arrive in its plant — an unprecedented product-turnaround time in the industry.

Packaging By Design continues to be an industry leader with flexibility and speed, especially since installing a new, state-of-the-art, 10-color press last year. The Flexographic Neoflex 10120GL is a gearless, servo-controlled system that gives customers:

• Improved print resolution and registration on films

• Greater flexibility with color

• Higher running speeds, leading to faster turnaround time and lower cost

Chuck Graziano, vice president of Packaging By Design, emphasizes, “The 10-color press offers our customers the potential to add colors to their packaging or use a second white, which intensifies all the other colors around it.”

Packaging By Design is one of the few printers in the industry that is 100% water-based. For food packaging, water-based inks and adhesives are preferred because there are low VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).

The company’s Quality Control samples each job for odors, web width, cutoff and proper specifications. The bond strength and the “slip” of the film also are checked, and all UPCs are scanned to make sure they are readable.

To learn more about this progressive company and how they can save you money and time, contact them at 1-847-741-5600 ext. 258.

In 1958, Revent made an indelible mark on the baking industry when it manufactured the world’s first roll-in rack oven in Stockholm, Sweden.  Today, Revent ovens are used in more than 120 countries. The ovens consistently deliver the highest level of baking quality combined with operation efficiency and maximum life expectancy. Consistent oven reliability translates into profit growth for bakers while building Revent’s reputation as the premier producers of rack ovens in today’s market.

Forty years ago, Revent International AB penetrated the North American market through a distribution agreement with Adamatic, Inc. Years later, Revent formed its own subsidiary, Piscataway, N.J.-based Revent Inc. The resulting company manufactures and distributes a variety of rack ovens, convection ovens, deck ovens, proofers and proofer/retarders to markets in North and South America.  In addition, Revent maintains a nationwide service network that provides service, technical support and parts distribution to its customers.

Revent rack ovens continue to lead the way in terms of baking technology, and its systems allow bakers to keep operating costs at a minimum. The company’s rack ovens make an ideal solution due to their unique air distribution system, known as Total Convection Control (TCC). The ovens are equipped with a unique system that employs a low velocity, upward-directed air stream. This system reduces product dehydration while ensuring a better bake by mimicking the effects of a hearth-style oven. The patented Revent High Volume Steam (HVS) system also provides maximum steam generation while, at the same time, reducing recovery time in the oven.

From traditional baked products such as cakes and cookies to artisan breads, Revent rack ovens offer the ultimate combination of results including premium baking, flexibility and production capacity.

Revent recently introduced its 739 Rotating Mini Oven with proofer that is a space saving oven. Its finished baked product results are similar to a full-size Revent rack oven, and it can bake a variety of products on 8 full-size baking pans. Its included proofer has the capacity for 12 sheet pans. Revent rack and mini ovens also feature an IAC computer control panel that provides consistent results and less spoilage. Baking programs (recipes) can be programmed in advance, allowing operators to bake any product by selecting the recipe and pressing the start button. Up to 500 different baking programs can be stored. In addition, the IAC has an option to connect to a PC for logging functions for HACCP compliance.

Revent also recently introduced a new line of convection ovens under its Do-Sys program.  The line ranges from a convenient countertop oven to 4-sheet and 8-sheet pan size models.  The high performance ovens feature even baking, steam capability and a modular design that allows for easy accessory additions. 1-800-822-9642.